The Levi Strauss & Co. team in Canada has a lot to celebrate this holiday season.
Three new mainline Levi’s® stores opened across Canada in early November, all in regions where e-commerce sales and consumer demand have been particularly strong. Store locations in Kelowna and Toronto will help expand the existing Levi’s® brand presence in British Columbia and Ontario, while a third store in Midtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, will be the first owned-and-operated location in the province. These new stores added to the recent opening of an important location at the DIX30 shopping center in Montreal this summer, a key new location in the Quebec province.
Arriving on the heels of our newly launched campaign with global icon Beyoncé, the new locations bring the Levi’s® brand’s premium lifestyle offer to the market. They are also opening just in time for the holiday season — a critical time for Levi’s®, as the season takes advantage of the brand’s recognition and easy-for-gift-giving inventory. The stores will be highly visible this busy shopping season through holiday window decorations and Black Friday and Boxing Day promotions, so fans across the region can give the gift of Levi’s®.
Meeting Brand Fans Where They Are
It’s no surprise that Levi’s® has brand fans all around the world — and Canada is no exception. Levi’s® is the market share leader in both men’s and women’s jeans and has a strong reputation in the country. For example, earlier this fall, LS&Co. Historian Tracey Panek stopped by Banff, Alberta, to speak at The Gathering’s annual Summit, where Levi’s® was one of five brands inducted into the first Brand Hall of Fame alongside other global icons, including McDonalds and Coca-Cola.
The latest store openings mark the first new permanent locations in Canada in two years, bringing the total number of Levi’s® stores in the country to over 50. Earlier this year, two other Levi’s® stores were relocated in the Yorkdale Shopping Center and Vaughan Mills shopping malls in Toronto to prioritize premium and larger mall locations as the brand strengthens its presence across Canada.
“What’s special about these stores is that they showcase the most premium Levi’s® experience for our fans,” said Vicky Skelton, managing director for LS&Co. Canada. “If you want to be inspired and are in search of the perfect denim lifestyle outfit, swing by a Levi’s® store and one of our experienced stylists will be more than happy to help you out.”
A Holistic Growth Strategy
We’ve been in the Canadian market for decades and have created longstanding, mutually beneficial partnerships throughout the region — and there’s still so much potential to continue to grow in the country. British Columbia and Ontario will remain key regions for Levi’s® in 2025, and Vicky expects new store openings in Canada to continue at a similar pace next year.
Meanwhile, momentum keeps building in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) and women’s businesses in the country, two key strategy areas for LS&Co. globally. Overall, Canada holds great potential for LS&Co. over the next few years.
Denim lifestyle categories like denim dresses, skirts, jackets and shirts will be ongoing priorities to keep the women’s business strong in the year ahead. The team is particularly excited about the denim-on-denim (on denim) style for both him and her, a look at the heart of our brand expression. And as we continue into the fall and winter months, Levi’s® will lean more into outerwear and sweaters, bringing functional, warm, fashion-leading options to the Canadian consumers as they plan for the colder months.
“The goal is to bring the full outfit to our consumer — not just the jeans,” explained Vicky.
As momentum cascades and we continue to expand our brick-and-mortar stores, the team also knows the importance of maintaining a holistic channel strategy. As we’ve said before, our DTC-first strategy does not mean DTC only — and this mindset applies to every region in which we operate. In tandem to expanding the Levi’s® store fleet, the team has also focused on enhancing the Levi’s® brand’s presence and experience across a number of partner stores, including our most recent example at the Mark’s Queensway location.
“Wholesale remains a key part of our business and plays an integral role in our overall growth ambition,” Vicky said. “Our focus continues to be on the partnerships with key wholesalers that share and support our strategic priorities, and to deepen existing partnerships as we further our reach and accessibility to our fans across the region.”
She added, “Canada is such a vast geography with a relatively small yet diverse population. We’re always looking at ways to innovate around that and reach even more fans.”
